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The Barbarian Nurseries (2011)

by Héctor Tobar(Favorite Author)

3.61 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0374108994 (ISBN13: 9780374108991)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

review 1: I found this book at a used book sale in a library for $2.00. I gave it a chance and was quite disappointed with the first half of the book. I felt that the author's use of words like progeny instead of children was unnecessary and only detracted from the story. He did this throughout the story every time he went into detail about computer programming or city councils or even lawyers. Way too much use of technical vocabulary. I did not sympathize with any of the characters as they all had many flaws. The only part of the story that I truly enjoyed was hearing the Whittier/Santa Fe Springs references since it is where I reside. I eventually did get hooked into wondering how the case would be resolved but it took great effort to finish this book.
review 2: I q... moreuite like this book, Tobar's second novel. It has some weaknesses: Tobar is a journalist, and his literary prose can be a bit clunky, plus he suffers from a journalist's tendency to answer every question of motivation and circumstance, which to me explains the sometimes awkward omniscient narration. That said, the novel offers a much more complex portrait of race and immigration in LA and Orange County than you get in something like T.C. Boyle's Tortilla Curtain. I like that there aren't any villains in the story. Each character has a complicated set of motivations. Even Araceli, who draws the most readerly sympathy, isn't without her quite significant flaws. Barbarian Nurseries is a departure from the violence and suspense of The Tattooed Soldier; it suggests that Tobar's trajectory as a writer is toward more sensitive exploration of human relationships. Definitely worth reading. less

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